Military coverage

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper arrived in Israel on Saturday for a several-hour visit, meeting Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir and other senior commanders to assess the multi-front situation, according to Israel's state-owned Kan TV News. The U.S. military remains on high alert in Israel, where dozens of U.S. fighters, refueling aircraft, air defense systems and thousands of U.S. troops remain deployed. Cooper also said Washington is pressing Israel to advance the second phase of the Gaza peace plan after the U.S.-led 'Board of Peace' announced an agreement last week on disarming Hamas. Cooper arrived in Israel after holding meetings in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkish Hakan Fidan told Anadolu that obligations under a new military alliance between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan mirror NATO's Article 5, with an attack on any member treated as aggression against all participants.

Ukraine has reached an agreement with the United States on monthly deliveries of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to reporters in Belgrade, though he said the volume falls short of Ukraine's air defense needs and 2026 deliveries are expected to be lower than in 2025.

Israeli forces entered a village in Quneitra province in southwestern Syria with military vehicles and set up a checkpoint, amid repeated Israeli incursions into Syrian territory, according to Anadolu Agency.

China's defense ministry spokesperson Chen Xi said on Friday that Chinese military exercises and law enforcement training around Huangyan Dao and its surrounding waters serve as a serious warning against violations and provocations by the Philippines, following Manila's deposit of its nautical chart of the area with the UN.

Lithuania will dig trenches worth €50 million near its border with Russia and Belarus, with some sections reaching 150 meters wide, according to the country's cabinet.

Russian Pacific Fleet commander Viktor Liina said the fleet is ready to ensure Russia's security in the Asia-Pacific, claiming 'NATO-like' alliances are forming in the region and that 379 of 1,001 vessels analyzed sailed under flags of 'unfriendly' states.

North Korea fired a projectile toward the Sea of Japan, according to the Yonhap news agency. The missile fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone after traveling 690 km at a maximum altitude of 90 km, JapaneseKoizumi said.

Vietnam has begun construction on its largest and most advanced domestically built anti-submarine frigate to date in the central city of Da Nang, according to a Xinhua report citing local media Tuoi Tre. Deputy Minister of National Defense Senior Lieutenant General Pham Hoai Nam attended the groundbreaking ceremony, highlighting the military's commitment to developing advanced defense equipment independently.

The UK maritime agency has reported an incident involving a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman near Gwadar, Pakistan, providing no details on casualties or damage off Pakistan's southwestern coast.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said on Monday that Ukrainian forces struck one of Russia's largest petrochemical complexes in the Tyumen region's city of Tobolsk, causing fires and damage. The SOF statement said drones traveled more than 2,000 km to reach the target and that the complex produces basic raw materials for industrial products including those used in the defense industry.

A Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet crashed in the Odessa region, according to the Air Forces' Telegram channel. Preliminary data indicates an emergency occurred; the aircraft caught fire and the pilot ejected.